South Korea is one of the world’s most densely populated and urbanized countries. Fully half the population of 50 million resides in the Seoul metropolitan region. “Smart City” has become a local buzzword, and the government continues to make rapid improvements in the quality of the urban infrastructure and environment. On May 22, 2017, real-time information displaying the level of crowding on Seoul’s city buses was rolled out across the network[1]. By utilizing existing data to enhance the service level, this update represents a textbook example of incremental innovation – improvements that could be accomplished without costly changes to the physical infrastructure.

Seoul public transport system overview

Seoul enjoys a world class public transport system. The urban rail system has 20 lines and over 500 stations. Buses play a vital role with a modal share of 27%, versus 39% for rail[2] In a massive public transport reform on 1 July 2004, bus routes were re-numbered according to the geographical start and end points and divided into clear color-coded categories:

Trunk lines for inter-regional (red buses)

Trunk lines for intra-reginal (blue buses)

Feeder (green buses)

Circular (yellow buses)

The reform also aimed to better integrate the infrastructure and service levels. Bus routes were reorganized to facilitate subway transfers, and exclusive median bus lanes (BRT) and improved transfer centers were constructed.

Service layer: T-money smart card

The fare system was also overhauled to coincide with the launch of the T-money smart card (“T” represents “tech, transport, and touch”[3]). Previously, bus-to-bus or bus-to-subway transfers required a separate fare. This caused passengers to use sub-optimal bus routings to avoid transfers. Under the new system, up to four free transfers are allowed, giving passengers an incentive to find the routing and modal combination that minimizes travel time. This has the positive side effect of reducing strain on the system by minimizing the number of passenger-minutes spent in the system.

The T-money smart card has become an indispensable part of the service level transport infrastructure. An innovative “post-paid” billing service launched in 2013 links the card to a user’s credit card and bills the monthly cumulative spending at the end of each month, thereby eliminating the need to top up the card. The T-money card can already be used in taxis, bicycle share and across most cities and regions of the country. It is possible that additional offerings such as car share and “all-you-can-ride” subscription plans will be added later. This would blur the line between a simple payment system and a true Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) concept, such as “Whim” by Maas Global, launched in Helsinki, Finland in 2016[4]

Data layer: Transport Operation & Information Service (TOPIS)

A robust data layer is crucial for the T-money system to function. Seoul’s Transport Operation & Information Service (TOPIS), also established in 2004, acts as the “control tower” for Seoul’s transport system by gathering and processing real-time traffic related information. Through its Bus Management System (BMS), it utilizes GPS receivers and wireless communication devices to gather and analyze bus information in real time. Major bus stops have electronic signboards displaying real-time information. Data is also made available through a public API, facilitating integration into smartphone apps.

On May 22, 2017, Seoul enhanced the quality of information provided by adding real-time occupancy conditions, which is determined by using data on passengers boardings and exists that is already collected for determining travel distance and transfer time.

Bus Occupancy Level

Level

Guide to level of congestion inside the bus

Spacious (여유)

Seats are available

Normal (보통)

Standing passengers can each hold on to a handle

Crowded (혼잡)

Passengers are crowding into the passageway and their bodies touch (abnormal)

The real-time occupancy information will not be entirely accurate due to several factors:

Cash fares: Buses in Seoul accept cash payment, and passengers paying by cash will not register in real-time occupancy statistics. However, the number of passengers paying by cash represents a small and declining proportion of total bus passengers.

Incomplete tapping out: Passengers are supposed to tap their smart cards both upon entering and exiting the bus (the 30-minute free transfer period is calculated from exiting the bus or subway gates). However, passengers sometimes neglect to tap out properly. Such passengers will incorrectly show up as present on the bus.

Fare evasion: A small number of passengers evade fare payment, and the will obviously not be reflected in occupancy information.

However, the level of inaccuracy from the above-mentioned factors is expected to average no more than 1-2 people per bus. Cash fares and fare dodging undercount occupancy while incomplete tapping out overcounts it, so the errors will be further reduced.

Coverage

Real time occupancy information is provided for blue (trunk), green (feeder) and yellow (circular) buses. Coverage for red buses (inter-regional) and village (local) buses may be added in the future. Occupancy information for M-bus routes (a special type of inter-regional commuter bus that does not allow standing passengers), has been provided since the launch of this bus type.

Information display method

Occupancy information is displayed on electronic signboards boards installed at major bus stops in Seoul in parenthesis following the route number.

Occupancy information on electronic signboards

English-language guide to the electronic bulletin board:

· Route numbers displayed in white.

· ETA displayed in blue on the right-hand side of the column (분 = minutes)

Access to real-time occupancy information enables passengers to adjust their journey plans in several different ways:

Wait for the next bus on the same route. Headways on trunk routes are often no more than 7-8 minutes. Elderly, mobility restricted passengers, or those traveling a long distance or who otherwise value a seat, waiting for the next bus may be worth-while.

Select an alternate bus route that travels along the same corridor. Alternatively, a one that follows a similar route.

Select the subway. For many origin-destination combinations, subways provide coverage (although usually with longer walking distances involved). The smoother ride may render standing less inconvenient on a subway, even if it is equally crowded.

Walk or bike the last mile. For short journeys (typically those connecting the origin or destination to the subway station) some passengers may prefer to simply walk or use the bike share scheme.

System level benefit: reducing “bus bunching”

Providing bus occupancy information may be helpful in reducing “bus bunching”: When the headway between the first and second bus on the same route increases (for example due to traffic congestion, the number of passengers waiting for the second bus will increase (assuming that passengers’ arrival times at bus stops is random and evenly distributed). Since each passenger boarding and exit takes a certain amount of time, the extra load on this second bus will slow it down further, narrowing the headway to the third bus on the route. Therefore, not many passengers will be waiting for this third bus, so it will travel faster than the second bus, and may even catch up with it.

However, with both real time arrival and occupancy information, passengers can see that the third bus is lightly loaded and only moments behind. Therefore, some passengers may let the second bus pass and wait for the third. With more evenly distributed loads, the difference in speed between the second and third buses will be reduced, thereby helping to maintain more even headway spacing.

Conclusion

This case study has examined the recent introduction of real-time bus occupancy information in Seoul, South Korea. It has shown such information represents a clear example of the “improve” pathway, as it results in a refinement of the user experience, safety and efficiency through incremental innovations. Only modest changes to the protocols used to process and distribute existing data were required. While it is out of the scope of this case study to provide a cost/benefit analysis, it is a reasonable assumption that the costs involved were modest compared to other changes to the physical transport infrastructure.

It should be noted that the ability to determine real-time bus occupancy data depends on passengers tapping their fare card both upon boarding and exiting the vehicle, which is already the case in Seoul. Therefore, providing occupancy data required no behavioral change from passengers. In systems where both tapping in and out is not required, gathering the data required would necessitate the installation of physical infrastructure (for example, sensors measuring passenger exits.) Thus, the immediate generalizability of this case is limited to systems that already require both tapping in and out.

This piece is the original writing of the author(s). The view points in the post is the author’s personal opinions and do not reflect IGLUS/EPFL’s viewpoints. The author(s) is the sole responsible person regarding the accuracy of the information presented in the post and will be liable for any potential copyright infringements.

]]>http://iglus.org/case-study-displaying-real-time-bus-occupancy-levels-in-seoul-south-korea/feed/0Istanbul Added to UNESCO’s Creative Cities Networkhttp://iglus.org/istanbul-added-to-unescos-creative-cities-network/
http://iglus.org/istanbul-added-to-unescos-creative-cities-network/#respondSun, 10 Dec 2017 16:19:24 +0000http://iglus.org/?p=2498Launched in 2004, UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network aims to facilitate the cooperation among cities in 7 creative fields such as folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts and music. Currently there are 180 members from 72 countries in this network and recently Istanbul from Turkey was selected as one of the ‘cities of design’.

Budapest became a co-capital in 1873, when it was a part of Austro-Hungarian Empire. After some attempts to acquire independence Hungary found itself in the socialist camp of the USSR at the end of World War II. Finally, country became independent in 1989 and in 2004 joined the European Union. Since that time it has undergone great changes towards urban development with the help of EU Cohesion Policy funds.

The Hungarian population today is 9.843 million people, while the population of Budapest is about 1.774 million, which represents 17 percent of the Hungarian total.

After the establishment of the BKK (the Centre for Budapest Transport), the first notable landslide in Budapest public transportation system happened in July 2014. The BKK introduced new automatic ticket machines that were able to pass out tickets and passes 24/7 and accept both cash and credit cards for payment. Moreover, the public bicycle-sharing hire system “MOL Bubi” started its trials. But not all the novelties meet the demands of the time and fulfill their functions.

Budapest Public Transportation System Transformation

Shift to electric cars, hydrogen cars and hybrid cars. First of all, it should be stated that Hungary accommodates the Evopro Company that produces the ultra-lightweight electric city bus “Modulo”. A 20 piece electric bus fleet was sold to the city of Budapest in 2016.

Since 1 March 2015 twenty-eight diesel-powered hybrid buses started their work in Budapest. At 10-20 km per hour speed these buses use solely electric power, which leads to a noiseless and smokeless environment on the bus stops.

In autumn 2016 the General Assembly of Budapest signed an agreement with the Ministry of National Economy on the electric vehicle charger infrastructure construction. The charger network will consist of 1.100 charging points plus 100 fast chargers by the year 2019. Now around 90 charging locations are in operation in Budapest.

Increase in bicycle usage. In the spring of 2014, the MOL Bubi public bike sharing scheme was introduced in Budapest. By August 2017 there are 1.486 MOL Bubi bikes available at 123 docking stations. Bikes can be used around the clock with a quarterly, annual or a semi-annual pass or using a 24-hour, 72-hour or 7-day ticket.

In October 2014 Eurobarometer survey service presented the study on the transport habits of the EU member states. Answering to the question “On a typical day, which mode of transport do you use most often?” 22 percent of Hungarian citizens responded “bicycle”. The Netherlands (36 percent) and Denmark (23 percent) were the leaders in this field. Moreover, the survey also showed that Hungary and the Netherlands were the only two countries with quite small differences between the proportions using a bicycle and a car (Hungarian result: 22 percent against 33 percent).

“Last-mile” issue (door-to-door mobility). According to the Oxford Dictionary, the “last-mile” term traces roots back to freight traffic activity and stands for “the distance from a central depot or other offloading point to the final delivery destination”. Later this term was also implemented to the practices of passengers’ conveyance.

The main stakeholders of the last-mile problem are people with special needs and elderly people. This problem is being tackled by the BKK through procurement of low-floor vehicles (in the timetable of trolleybuses, buses and trams you can see departure times of low-floor transport mode; they are underlined).

It is important to mention the special service operating in Budapest that is called “Midibus”. It is a door-to-door transport service for physically challenged and elderly people. The service can be provided on demand ordered in advance via phone and the price of the ride equals the discount ticket of usual public transport fare.

Multi-modal travel scheduling. The FUTÁR (Traffic Management and Passenger Information) system became an integral part of public transportation in Budapest in 2013. It operates with the help of GPS-based automated vehicle location (AVL) and passenger information system for surface transport. All on-road vehicles are equipped with a satellite geographical positioning system making available real-time information for traffic control and passenger information as well as for service and managerial objectives.

Web-site and smart phone applications “BKK FUTÁR” give the possibility for passengers to plan their trips using all available transport modes (except bicycle) in real time. There is a possibility to plan your journey while taking into consideration departure time or desirable arrival time to the final destination.

A huge number of stops and metro stations are equipped with electronic displays, which show the sharp time of the next vehicle arrival. Moreover, display screens can be found on board of some transport modes. In addition, displayed information is synchronized with the audio announcements.

Integrated intermodal ticketing. The World Road Association defines integrated ticketing as a system, which “enables a traveler to complete a journey using several public transport modes with a single, simple to use, method of cashless payment at an optimally low fare. Integrated intermodal ticketing helps to smooth the process of switching between transport modes during a single journey”.

New automatic ticket machines were installed in 2014 and changes to the ticket tariff system were also made. Monthly passes became available for citizens with the identification of the user. It can be made with the help of student IDs, BKK photo IDs, passports, and driver’s licenses.

The transportation system in the capital of Hungary is unified, that is why the same tickets are valid for all kinds of transport and have a fixed price (except tickets purchased on the spot and suburban trains). Moreover, tourism oriented tariffs were introduced: 24 and 72-hours unlimited usage ticket, as well as weekly passes. Discounts for seniors, students, children, and people with disabilities are also provided. Monthly and daily passes give an opportunity to change the transportation modes without any validation procedure, which gives us ground to speak about integrated ticketing. Meanwhile, a one-trip ticket can be used only during the journey in one transport mode. So, even if passenger needs to travel by metro and then change to tram, s(he) should buy two tickets.

The validity and proper belonging of the tickets can be checked by the ticket inspectors, who still operate in Budapest. These transport workers always stand in the entrance of the metro station, while they rarely inspect your travel documents in the exit. Even less frequently passengers can meet them in the buses, trolleybuses or trams. In the case of travel ticket absence or wrong documents, passenger will be fined. Moreover, the entrance to the public transport vehicles and metro stations has no physical obstacles (aside from inspectors in the underground and ferries). According to the Hungarian economic daily Napi Gazdaság, in 2014 around 363,000 fare dodgers were caught by inspectors. It goes without saying that they were fined, but at the same time the questions that have to be answered still exist: “Why is the number so big?” and “How to solve the problem?”.

The other disputable issue of the new ticket system is travel tracking and its absence. Travel tracking is an important option for travel operators to see which routes are more popular, or what parts of the city are in a lack of connection between each other. Moreover, it shows charge capacity of the transport in particular hours, which gives a ground for providing more vehicles on the route or vice versa.

The best solution for the city would be the implementation of a smart ticketing system: single card with contactless ID-based payment systems throughout the journey and multi-access consumer information. This system was successfully implemented in London (Oyster), Bologna (Mi Muovo), Switzerland (Swiss Pass) etc.

Conclusion

The Budapest public transportation system is still in the process of improving. The bus fleet was enriched with electric buses and hybrid vehicles. Moreover, the number of electric charging stations is constantly growing around the city, which also makes it attractive for citizens to buy e-cars for private usage.

One of the aims of the “Budapest Transport Development Strategy 2014-2030” is to make cycling more popular among citizens. And Budapest makes it possible with the creation of a public bike sharing scheme, which received name “MOL Bubi”.

Door-to-door mobility was improved with the help of Midibus service introduction. It is very useful for physically challenged and elderly people; especially taking into account the fact of providing services for the common public transport fare (with discount).

Passenger information became more visible and practical. Users can plan their trips in real time with BKK FUTÁR application. Many bus stops became equipped with display screens. Some vehicles also received on-board screens with real-time information about the trip. So even tourists, for whom it is quite difficult to recognize names by ear, can easily orient on displays.

References

Open Data Portal for the European Structural Investment Funds – European Commission. Retrieved June 01, 2017, from https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/countries/HU

Communication from the Commission. (1993). The future development of the common transport policy A global approach to the construction of a Community framework for sustainable mobility.

Commission of The European Communities. (2001). White Paper: European transport policy for 2010: time to decide.

History of Evopro. Retrieved June 2, 2017, from http://www.evopro.hu/en/about/history

One of the biggest articulated hybrid bus fleets in Europe started to operate in Budapest this March. (2015, February 27). Retrieved May 22, 2017, from http://budapest.hu/sites/english/Lapok/One-of-the-biggest-articulated-hybrid-bus-fleets-in-Europe-started-to-operate-in-Budapest-this-March.aspx

Panker, G. (2016, September 07). Over 1,000 EV charging points to be built in Budapest by 2019. Retrieved June 04, 2017, from https://autopro.hu/en/news/Over-1-000-EV-charging-points-to-be-built-in-Budapest-by-2019/20061/#sthash.xnMor85i.dpuf

This piece is the original writing of the author(s). The view points in the post is the author’s personal opinions and do not reflect IGLUS/EPFL’s viewpoints. The author(s) is the sole responsible person regarding the accuracy of the information presented in the post and will be liable for any potential copyright infringements.